JACKSON, MI – Having a girlfriend was “extremely important” to Marcel Hill, who felt this made him “normal,” said Sheila Lorenz, a case manager formerly employed by the Home of New Vision in Jackson.

When asked about his relationship with his girlfriend, Camia Gamet, who had reportedly hurt him in the past, he defended her. “He believed everything she did was out of love,” Lorenz testified Thursday, Feb. 27, during Gamet’s ongoing jury trial.

Gamet is charged with open murder for allegedly beating and stabbing to death Hill on May 18 in the house apartment they were sharing on Lansing Avenue. Her attorney is arguing she acted in self defense.

Like others, Lorenz warned Hill about Gamet. “If he didn’t leave, she was going to kill him,” testified Lorenz, who now works elsewhere. She used to meet regularly with Hill through the Home of New Vision, which helps people struggling with substance abuse.

Lorenz and members of Hill’s family spoke of Hill’s mental and physical difficulties. He received Social Security benefits because of his cognitive impairment, Lorenz said.